DAVIDE SANTON turned down the chance to play Champions League football and a lucrative offer from the mega-rich Russian Premier League to sign on the dotted line for Newcastle United.

His new boss Alan Pardew described the capture as “signing a pedigree player” with Santon taking the No 3 shirt at Newcastle.

The 20-year-old also snubbed top-six Serie A outfit AS Roma to join the Magpies as well as two other Premier League clubs to sign a five year deal on Tyneside – but was today waiting to see which new striker will join him.

The Chronicle has been told that Santon’s move to St James’ Park was for “footballing reasons only” with his desire to play for United sure to go down well with Geordie fans after he turned down bigger offers to play abroad. Santon’s former Inter Milan team-mate Samuel Eto'o is now picking up £340,000 per week to star in Russia for Anzhi Makhachkala which equates to £17.9m a year, and the Toon’s new left back could also have been in the Rubles if he’d opted to switch.

Yet Pardew and his board still had to fight off competition in what some are considering a coup for United.

Reflecting on his big-money move, Santon told the Chronicle: “Alan Pardew has been fantastic with me. I was really impressed with him when I met him for the first time.

“I really like him because he wants to speak to players as men.

“Now I want to show him exactly what I can do on the pitch, it is a big desire for me to do well for this club.

“I want to pull on that black-and-white shirt as soon as possible.”

Santon’s arrival finally offers Newcastle a recognised solution at left-back, but the Toon new boy admits he can play right-back or on either wing and loves to get forward.

The Chronicle revealed on August 23 that the Magpies had turned their attentions to Santon and after signing in a deal understood to have cost £5.3m, the player will look to make his Toon debut “as soon as possible” after arriving from the San Siro.

A delighted Pardew said today: “He’s a player that I knew about and somebody who I thought would be a great acquisition for this football club.

“I decided when it become accessible to us that we should not hesitate to go for him.

“He has been the Italian Under-21 captain and everybody thinks he is going to be a very good player.

“He is a pedigree player.”

:: SAMMY AMEOBI netted for the United second string at Wolves in a 1-1 draw at the home of AFC Telford.